The present invention relates generally to roller bearings and, more particularly, to a unitized roller bearing assembly.
Referring to FIG. 1, a prior art roller bearing assembly 100 is illustrated. The roller bearing assembly 100 generally includes a plurality of rollers 102 retained within a cage 104. The cage 104 includes a plurality of pockets in which the rollers 102 are positioned and retained. A cup 106 is provided about the outside of the cage 104 and roller 102 assembly to provide an outer bearing surface for the rollers 102. Alternatively, the cup 106 may be provided on the inside of the cage 104 and roller 102 assembly to provide an inside bearing surface. Flanges 108 and 110 extending radially from the cup 106 unitize the assembly and thereby allow the cup 106 to prevent radially outward movement of the rollers 102. Various means have been employed to configure the pockets, for example, tabs extending in to the pockets, to prevent radial movement of the rollers 102 in a direction opposite of the cup 106.
While the cup 106 has provided an adequate means to unitize the assembly, it has some drawbacks. For example, during manufacture, one of the flanges 108 or 110 is generally left uncurled so that the cage 104 and roller 102 assembly may be positioned within the cup 106. Thereafter, a secondary procedure is required to curl the uncurled flange 108 or 110. Additionally, bearing assemblies are often utilized in confined environments, for example, a vehicle transmission, where space is at a premium. The axial thickness of the flanges 108 and 110 must be accommodated by reducing the length of the cage 104 and thereby the rollers 102.